Inside The NBA star Shaquille O’Neal gives a review of Tom Brady’s broadcasting performance and offers advice.
Tom Brady has received mixed reviews for his performance in the broadcast booth with Fox but NBA legend and Inside The NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal isn’t judging Brady too harshly. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time NBA champion weighed in on Brady in the booth and how he can continue to get better.
“He has G-19 classification. Talk about your experience,” he said. “Tell stories and be yourself. It’s not that he was quiet, he was professional. Because when you first come in, you don’t know when it’s your turn. Everybody can’t be Charles Barkley and just take over segments and blurt out and take 9 minutes to answer one damn question. You got to get used to it. So this year might be tough for him but by the second and third year, he’s going to be as good as Troy Aikman. Troy Aikman is really good, but Troy Aikman when he talks about football, we believe him because we know how great Troy was.”
O’Neal’s positivity towards Brady’s performance might be because he identifies with the struggles. Immediately following his retirement in 2011, O’Neal joined Inside The NBA as the fourth member of the studio crew. While his debut was delayed because of the 2011 lockout, he officially joined the team on Christmas Day. Although he produced some hilarious moments alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkly, he was getting harsh reviews from critics as well.
Per O’Neal, he didn’t really find his voice until he embraced being himself.
“When I came in I wanted to be as professional as you and Ernie. I was really calling myself Shaq Gumbel, but then TK was like f—k that, we don’t need that just be yourself. That’s when I really started to blossom. Listen I never want to over talk Ernie, he’s the man so I’m waiting and then I get ready to answer and then fat boy blurts out a thing, and then Kenny, and then the point I was getting ready to make he comes back and says my point. So now I gotta come up with another point. It was very rough the first year and a half, but once I got it, once I got my rhythm.”
O’Neal’s sage advice could certainly be a help to Brady as he transitions into his lead analyst role with Fox. Brady has certainly had moments where he’s shined in the booth, such as his assessment of Lamar Jackson and his reaction to the Cowboys contemplating attempting a long field goal, but he certainly can improve some things before he gets as good as Troy Aikman or even Tony Romo.